Name: Memoir Plus, Essay Collections, & More: The Publishing Landscape for Non-Fiction Today
Start: 2027-01-17T10:45:00-0500
End: 2027-01-17T11:45:00-0500

Memoir Plus, Essay Collections, & More: The Publishing Landscape for Non-Fiction Today

Sunday January 17, 2027 10:45am - 11:45am EST

TBA

Nonfiction today goes well beyond the straightforward memoir—hybrid forms, essay collections, and "memoir plus" books that braid personal story with reporting or research are reshaping the category. This session maps the current landscape for writers working outside a single, tidy genre lane: how these projects get positioned and sold, what agents and editors are looking for right now, how to pitch a book that blends memoir with history, science, or criticism, and where essay collections fit in a tough market. Whether your book resists easy categorization or you're just figuring out how to frame it for submission, you'll leave with a clearer picture of where nonfiction publishing stands today— and how your project fits in.

Moderators

Alysia Abbott

FAIRYLAND, A MEMOIR OF MY FATHER, Author

Alysia Abbott is the author of Fairyland, A Memoir of My Father, which was a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, an ALA Stonewall Award winner, a winner of the Madame Figaro Prix Heroine, and a finalist for the Lambda Literary Awards. She is a recipient of grants and fellowships from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Ragdale, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts... Read More →

Speakers

Maria Pinto

FEARLESS, SLEEPLESS, DEATHLESS: WHAT FUNGI TAUGHT ME ABOUT NOURISHMENT, POISON, ECOLOGY, HIDDEN HISTORIES, ZOMBIES, AND BLACK SURVIVAL, Author

Maria Pinto is a naturalist, essayist, fictioneer, and educator living in the Boston area. She teaches creative writing for various organizations, has led workshops and given lectures for mycological societies and environmental groups around the country, and leads regular fungal forays... Read More →

Mathew Rodriguez

TOUGH GUY, Author

Mathew Rodriguez is a Brooklyn-based writer whose debut memoir 'Tough Guy' is coming out in January from Abrams Books. He teaches writing and journalism at New York University and the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. He has been a senior editor at The Atlantic and his... Read More →

Ashley Lopez

Massie McQuilkin & Altman Literary Agents, Literary Agent

Ashley Lopez is a literary agent with Massie McQuilkin & Altman Literary Agents. She received her MFA in fiction from Sarah Lawrence College and has over a decade of publishing experience. Formerly the director of foreign rights and an agent at WLA Books, she has worked on international... Read More →

Sunday January 17, 2027 10:45am - 11:45am EST
TBA

Track 3: The Book Ecosystem

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TBR 2027

Alysia Abbott

Maria Pinto

Mathew Rodriguez

Ashley Lopez

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Success you have shared X tickets.

TBR 2027

Alysia Abbott

Maria Pinto

Mathew Rodriguez

Ashley Lopez

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